A/T Questions

[gjtech]

Hello, I hope you remember me from kotse.com and theveed's detailing forums

My ride is a 1999 323 GLXi 4-speed A/T. While most A/T cars have the overdrive or OD switch, mine has the "Hold" switch. According to the manual, if the tranny is set to D, then the gears can only go up to the 3rd gear, if in S, the gears can only go up to the 2nd gear, and so on and so forth (BTW my tranny sequence is P-R-N-D-S-L). Question is, what is the best practice when enabling "Hold"? Kasi there are some that say to just put the gear to D and the auto tranny will do it all for you.

[papa tots]

the hold switch basically has the same functions as the OD switch. in most a/t cars, when the OD is turned off and gear shifting is limited only up to the 3rd, the shift point is usually at a higher rpm. this will result in faster acceleration at the drive gear and, of course, make the car less fuel efficient. just put the shifter on "D" with the OD switch turned on or the HOLD at off during normal driving.

[vinj]

During normal drivng, just keep it in D. The "hold" in the 323 is equivalent to o/d off.

When you put it in o/d off or keep her in lower gears, the engine will also tend to stay in gear or "engine brake" thus giving you more control when you need it in situations like driving on mountain roads or in slippery conditions. Engine braking the matic tranny on a steep mountain road is important for it will put less load on your brakes.

In addition, always check your ATF level to make sure it's filled for a tranny that lacks ATF will lead you to an overhaul. You have to drain and change the ATF every 40K as well.

[gjtech]

thanks

[ghosthunter]

I beg to differ from the opinions of the other peeps who replied before me.

The Mazda 323 A/T tranny is pretty much different from other A/T works in terms of how the "hold" operates.

In a normal A/T, the O/D just gives you that extra high gear for better fuel economy when on a highway.

In the mazda 323 familia, the "hold" doesn't operate the same way as the O/D. With the "hold" off, the tranny operates like any other A/T. But with the "hold" on, it basically turns the A/T into a sort of manual select tranny with 3 gear settings.

Example:

Setting: A/T hold is ON and shifter is in D or 3. The gas is floored.
Result: tranny will quickly shift from 1 to 2 to 3 and stay there but it will only stay in 1 & 2 gear positions just long enough to get to the MINIMUM speed to shift to the next higher gear.

Setting: A/T hold is OFF and shifter is in D or 3. The gas is floored.
Result: tranny will let the engine rev up to redline before shifting from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4. The tranny will optimize all the revs available before shifting to next gear.


This is explained in the car's manual. Better read it for more details. :idea:

[gjtech]

Setting: A/T hold is ON and shifter is in D or 3. The gas is floored.
Result: tranny will quickly shift from 1 to 2 to 3 and stay there but it will only stay in 1 & 2 gear positions just long enough to get to the MINIMUM speed to shift to the next higher gear.

Setting: A/T hold is OFF and shifter is in D or 3. The gas is floored.
Result: tranny will let the engine rev up to redline before shifting from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4. The tranny will optimize all the revs available before shifting to next gear.


This is explained in the car's manual. Better read it for more details.

thanks, sobrang simplified kasi yung nakalagay sa owner's manual. you explained it quite well and now i know when to use it 8)

[ghosthunter]

Setting: A/T hold is ON and shifter is in D or 3. The gas is floored.
Result: tranny will quickly shift from 1 to 2 to 3 and stay there but it will only stay in 1 & 2 gear positions just long enough to get to the MINIMUM speed to shift to the next higher gear.

Setting: A/T hold is OFF and shifter is in D or 3. The gas is floored.
Result: tranny will let the engine rev up to redline before shifting from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4. The tranny will optimize all the revs available before shifting to next gear.

This is explained in the car's manual. Better read it for more details.

thanks, sobrang simplified kasi yung nakalagay sa owner's manual. you explained it quite well and now i know when to use it 8)

Well, I was also curious about why the Mazda 323 Familia feels different from our 94 corolla gli a/t ... when I drove either car, I kept experimenting on the settings. I also read the car's manual to have a background on what I was doing too.

BTW, is your Familia's shift give a noticable "shift-shock" when it shifts gears or smooth siya? I am rather concerned kasi. It might require some servicing already.

[gjtech]

BTW, is your Familia's shift give a noticable "shift-shock" when it shifts gears or smooth siya? I am rather concerned kasi. It might require some servicing already.

I feel some shift-shock but I don't know how it compares, if it's smoother or not. My friend who drives an EK Civic says that his shift shock is more apparent than my ride after he drove it around some.

I replaced my ATF recently (at 40+K) and did not notice any marked improvement in feel. Just gave me some peace of mind :D

[ghosthunter]

I guess its normal for the Familia. It because my gf was looking to buy s 2nd hand sentra months ago and among other cars we tried, there was one sentra a/t which had a very pronounced shift-shock. It was strong enough to jerk your head backwards for half-a-sec... The guy trying to sell it said it was "normal" for that model sentra. Sheesh!!! I didn't mention I already drove 3 other sentra a/t that day and another 4 before that day!

And that guy was a sales guy from Nissan UN Ave pa!!!!

[JunnM]

I'm also driving a Mazda Familia A/T, in my case I feel the shift-shock during 1st to 2nd gear shifting at parang mabilis magshift. I think for a 20-25 km\hr reading sa speedometer nakapagshift na siya sa 2nd gear, tama lang ba yun? But after that noticeable shift-shock, shifting from 2nd to 3rd and 4th gear smooth na siya.

[gjtech]

i don't know kung normal yun, pero pareho tayo ng behavior ng transmission. yung sa yo ba from 0-1st gear parang may jerk parati?

[JunnM]

Ganun na nga ang nangyayari...lalo na kapag inapakan ko ng dere-deretso ang gas. Minsan ang ginagawa ko from 0 apak lang ng konti tapos kapag pakiramdam ko magshi-shift na binibitawan ko ang gas, tapos apak uli...ayun minsan nawawala yun jerk.

[sgt_trigger]

e pano naman yung sa Civic na a/t? walang OD or HOLD yun e. sabi ng iba yung 4th gear na raw yung OD nya...

[ghosthunter]

i don't know kung normal yun, pero pareho tayo ng behavior ng transmission. yung sa yo ba from 0-1st gear parang may jerk parati?

From a standing start, our Familia jerks forward a bit unless you are very very gentle with the gas pedal.

[ghosthunter]

e pano naman yung sa Civic na a/t? walang OD or HOLD yun e. sabi ng iba yung 4th gear na raw yung OD nya...

yup, thats right.

Honda Civic A/T
D4 = O/D on
D3 = O/D off

[gjtech]

From a standing start, our Familia jerks forward a bit unless you are very very gentle with the gas pedal.

kaya pala, i thought there's something lang that needed adjustment like the accelerator cable, etc.

even when you're gentle, it's hard pa rin to make it not jerk. lagay mo sa N or P tapos try putting the RPM needle in between 800 to 1100 rpm. ang hirap hahaha :lol: